Description
South End Green is a small open space in the middle of busy roads, with grass, a few trees and seating. A settlement called Pond Street is mentioned in 1607, and by the early C18th the hamlet had c.24 houses. Until 1835 there was a pond where South End Green is now, which was then filled in and a public green laid out. The ornamental octagonal granite drinking fountain in the centre was donated in 1880 by Miss Crump of Hereford House, Hampstead. The purpose-built shelter nearby was built c1893 for tramwaymen of the London Tramway Company, which had extended trams to South End Green by 1886.The largely intact underground Public Lavatories were built by the London and North-Western Railway in 1897.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Pond Street |
|---|---|
| Site location | Pond Street/Fleet Road/Constantine Road/South End Road |
| Postcode | NW3 2DG |
| What3Words | ///loads.trucks.ties |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Hampstead Heath. |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
South End Green is a small open space in the middle of busy roads, with grass, a few trees and seating. A settlement at Pond Street is mentioned in 1607, and by the early C18th the hamlet had c.24 houses. It was part of the parish of Hampstead, which included other settlements at West End and Kilburn. Until 1835 there was a pond where South End Green is now, which was then filled in and the public green laid out. In the centre of South End Green is an ornamental octagonal granite drinking fountain donated in 1880 by Miss Crump of Hereford House, Hampstead in memory of William Warburton Pearce and of her uncle J B Chamberlain, with an inscription in the base commemorating her donation. It was designed by J H Evins and built by J Holland of Northwich, Cheshire, and is in Early English Gothic Revival style, taking the form of a baptismal font.
Opposite the Green is a purpose-built tramwaymen's shelter built c.1893 for tramwaymen of the London Tramway Company who had extended trams to South End Green by 1886. In 1897 underground Public Lavatories were built at South End Green by the London and North-Western Railway, and remain today largely intact with their interior walls tiled in green and white and the floor chequered black and white; the three entrances have cast-iron railings on low tile walls, and cast-iron gates with overthrows.
South End Green was renovated in 2006, with new paving and lighting installed around the base of the drinking fountain. Quotations have been inscribed into the surrounding paving slabs, including by D H Lawrence, Herbert Henry Asquith, John Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson and George Orwell, together with text in recognition of the renovation: 'The restoration of this Green is dedicated to the community of South End Green by Josh and Kirstie Wallis, Sean and Lucy Reardon (2006)'.
Opposite the Green is a purpose-built tramwaymen's shelter built c.1893 for tramwaymen of the London Tramway Company who had extended trams to South End Green by 1886. In 1897 underground Public Lavatories were built at South End Green by the London and North-Western Railway, and remain today largely intact with their interior walls tiled in green and white and the floor chequered black and white; the three entrances have cast-iron railings on low tile walls, and cast-iron gates with overthrows.
South End Green was renovated in 2006, with new paving and lighting installed around the base of the drinking fountain. Quotations have been inscribed into the surrounding paving slabs, including by D H Lawrence, Herbert Henry Asquith, John Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson and George Orwell, together with text in recognition of the renovation: 'The restoration of this Green is dedicated to the community of South End Green by Josh and Kirstie Wallis, Sean and Lucy Reardon (2006)'.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ274855 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.08 |
| Site Ownership | LB Camden |
| Site Management | Parks & Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1835 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Drinking Fountain; Tramwaymen's Shelter; Public Lavatories; 2 Telephone kiosks |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Green (TVG27) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | Yes |
| Local Authority | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Hampstead Village |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Character: Hampstead & Highgate Ridge |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space (Small Local). London Squares Preservation Act 1931. |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
World Peace Garden Camden was created in 2014 on what used to be derelict open space at the foot of Parliament Hill alongside Hampstead Heath overground station. In the Mayor of London Planning Datamap, the site was subsumed under Parliament Court Gardens. Today, it has been recognised as one of the best secret gardens in London, and its designations as a Local Green Space and SINC affirm its richness of wildlife and value to the community. It is part of the global World Peace Gardens network which aims to promote areas of peace and tranquility enabling contemplation.
The house, originally called Wentworth Place, was built in 1814-6 for Charles Wentworth Dilke and Charles Armitage Brown, a pair of semi-detached houses sharing a common garden, on land enclosed from Hampstead Heath. John Keats (1795-1821) lived here with Brown from 1818-1820, having come to know the area in 1816. In 1819 Fanny Brawne and her family lived next door and she and Keats met and fell in love. Keats died of TB in Italy, where he had travelled for the sake of his health. The house was later owned by actress Eliza Chester, who made it a single dwelling. Threatened with demolition in the 1920s it was purchased and opened to the public as a memorial to John Keats on 9 May 1925. In 2009 Keats House re-opened following refurbishment of both house and garden, the latter redesigned in keeping with the Regency period of Keats' day.
Hampstead Green is the remains of what was once a much larger area of manorial waste. On the John Rocque map 1746 it is shown as an open space with an avenue of trees surrounded by a few buildings; in the 1830s it was described as 'a grassy playground for children with a fine double row of trees'. The railed triangular site is now managed for wildlife, planted with a wild flower meadow. Part of the green was taken when St Stephen's Church was built in 1869-75, and the site then came into the ownership of the church who also had responsibility for its maintenance. In 1928 it was referred to as Pond Street Enclosure, a 'small grass plot planted with shrubs and trees' that was protected under the London Squares Act of 1931. A Cabman's Shelter was erected adjacent in 1935.
